The Tribal Run

A few weeks ago my friend Stacy and I saw a poster at the gym for an upcoming race.  It was only two weeks away and was supposed to be a team thing but we didn't care and signed up anyway.  We did our best to put a team together but in the end it ended up being just the two of us. We didn't care and ended up having a great time!

There were three courses each approximately a 5K.  The idea was to have a team of 6-10 people and have someone running a course consistently.  The kicker was the race started at sunset and went until sunrise.  Luckily it was the first ever Tribal Run and they were way cool about Stacy and I doing our own thing since we didn't have a team.  We got there in the early evening and set up our 'camp' which pretty much consisted of a tarp and cots in Camp Congo.

They had an 'Opening Ceremony' at about 8:30PM that had fire dancers and other stuff to get us pumped up.  Here we are with the main fire dancer after.

After that Stace and I ran our first course.  Like I said the race organizers were way cool and just let us run together as we wanted throughout the night.  This is us after our first course.

A little side note about our awesome attire.  The poster said to dress up.  So Stacy and I (but mostly Stacy) put our creative minds together and a trip to Wal-Mart and a good pair of scissors later we went from this:

To this:

Yes, we rock!  That was one XXXL pair of spandex pajama pants made into two running skirts and tops!

Anyway, after our first course we rested around the fire and on our cots for about an hour before heading out to do our second, and longest, course.  We wore headlamps this time, although it was a full moon and we didn't really need them, it was perfect running weather.  After each course we got to put a sticker on the board and get a stamp on our arm. 

We finished the second course shortly before the mid-night 'Pow-Wow' where they, again, got everyone amped up.  A DJ played music all night too.  After the pow-wow we rested and hung out some more, this time for a  bit longer before taking off to do the third and final course.

We got back at about 2AM and got a free massage from the masseuses they had on hand.  We decided we would attempt to sleep for a few hours before doing our favorite course one more time, since four loops was our original goal. 

I was surprised how quick we both passed out and how well we both slept despite being on cots and having so much going on around us.  We set an alarm for 5AM but when it went off we had both changed our minds about doing another course.  We decided to pack up our things and chill by the fire until the awards ceremony at 6AM.

The awards ceremony was quick and to the point.  Like I said, this was the first ever Tribal Run and it wasn't a huge event but by far one of the more organized races I've done and I think it will grow to be a huge race.  Stace and I each won and award for running so many loops and we shared the award for best female costume!  I'm not sure which one we were more proud of ourselves for!

I had so much fun with my pal Stace and can't wait to do this race again someday.  Hopefully next time we will have a little bit bigger team too, let me know if you're in!